I’m going to be honest with you. I thought I hated rice pudding. In fact, other than any form of chocolate pudding I was certain I hated all puddings. Spotted dick? Ha! Tapioca? Makes me want to throw up in my mouth.

And then I met sutlaç.**

It was love at first bite.

It was a traditional love story: girl sees dessert across a crowded restaurant. Sutlaç looks so scrumptious that day in its little square tin pan. All caution (or thought of calories or sugar intake) is thrown to the wind, and the rest, as they say, was history.

But after a certain point, I wanted to take our relationship to the next level. I wanted to bring it home. But sutlaç played hard to get: it didn’t heat at the right temperature, it stayed watery and wouldn’t set. 6 forlorn ceramic bowls sat in my fridge, practically inedible. I even had to throw some away. It felt like a betrayal.

Others had promised it would be so easy, that sutlaç only needed a few ingredients and we’d be able to make it work. Well, I’m happy to say that after a bit of counseling (online, admittedly), sutlaç and I have rekindled our romance and are happier than ever.

Here’s a simple recipe to bring sutlaç into your home, too!*

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